A Road Trip Turns Historic
In January 1998, photographer Charles O’Rear set out to visit his girlfriend in Marin County, California. Along Sonoma Highway, he noticed a rolling green hill under a vibrant blue sky just after winter rains had cleared. He stopped, pulled out his Mamiya RZ67 camera loaded with Fujifilm’s Velvia color film, and captured a photograph that would later be recognized worldwide.
From Stock Photo to Tech Icon
O’Rear initially listed the image, titled Bucolic Green Hills, with Westlight, the stock photo agency he co-founded. After Bill Gates’s company Corbis acquired Westlight, Microsoft reached out in 2000 to purchase full rights to the photograph. Due to the photo’s high value, O’Rear personally delivered the original film to Microsoft in Seattle. The image was renamed Bliss and selected as the default wallpaper for Windows XP.
A Snapshot Without Enhancements
Despite widespread speculation, O’Rear confirmed that Bliss was not digitally altered or enhanced. The vivid greens and blues were a result of the natural landscape combined with the high saturation of Velvia film. Microsoft’s choice propelled the image onto an estimated one billion screens worldwide.
Life After Bliss
Following Bliss, O’Rear continued photographing vineyards, publishing books about Napa Valley and wine culture with his wife, Daphne Larkin. By 2020, he had retired to Brevard, North Carolina, after decades of capturing moments that defined both landscapes and history.
In January 1998, photographer Charles O'Rear stopped his car along Sonoma Highway after noticing a vibrant green hill under a bright blue sky.
He took one photo with his medium-format camera, unaware it would become the most famous computer wallpaper in history…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/xYuLyzH7xt
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) April 28, 2025